Memory Box
by Zadien
Summary: “What? No offence to the girl but she does kind of have a god complex. That Dragon fire of hers does not give her the right to go prancing around looking for trouble at every turn.” Riven and Musa have a time out in between battles.
1. Kissing Booth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters of Winx.

**A.N:** This isn't an official sequel to Unattainable only it kind of is– but you don't have to read that to understand this, it would just help- or you could see it as set in the same world. This may turn into a series of moments between Riven and Musa during her final years at Alfea and as per usual, I've disregarded the second and third series since I didn't see any of that. However, I did add Layla, I don't really know what her character is like so it's probably OOC because I based her off character bios on websites. Other characters are ones I took from the game that I use to give me inspiration.

* * *

Kissing Booth

**By**: Zadien

* * *

Alfea was alive with people, fairies and specialists alike, wandering around the grounds, peeking in on the craft stalls and wares being displayed in order to raise money for the Alfea regeneration project. Since the first battle that had taken place on Alfea grounds, the building structure had begun to give way and without that solid foundation, the magical spells used to rejuvenate and repair the building had nothing to latch onto. Therefore the students had decided to raise funds to repair the basic structure over their upcoming summer holidays so that everything would be safe and sound for the next year –and the next battle that Bloom would inevitably pull them into, as some students, namely one Princess Amaryl had pointed out. (that was also why she was now cooling her heels in the kitchen's freezer section courtesy of Princess Stella of Solaria and Princess Layla of the Realm of Tides.)

The fund raiser had certainly lifted school spirits since class was cancelled for the day –though at this stage of the year, most classes were just going over revision for the impending exams– and the girls revelled in the freedom and the chance to socialise with the boys from Red Fountain. Stella, the aforementioned Princess in charge of locking Amaryl in the freezer, was particularly enjoying the day as she and her friends had come up with a fun stall to raise money for the school. A kissing booth in which two girls, her and Layla –since the other four weren't particularly interested in kissing half of Red Fountain- would stand behind the booth and offer up a kiss for a specific amount of money. Musa, one of Stella's best friends, was not enjoying the day because she was filling in for Stella while the blonde went for lunch with her boyfriend.

It was typical Stella, Musa thought as she looked out over the line of boys clad in blue uniforms. Some of them she recognized and others she was certain she'd never seen before. She supposed it wasn't that bad, after all, it was just a kiss and some of the guys were really good looking and, as Stella had pointed out, they were raising money for Alfea which was practically their second home. Musa had bit her tongue to stop herself from pointing out that nearly half the student population of Alfea hailed from rich backgrounds, not to mention the fact that many alumni would offer up big donations for the Alfea cause. Why did they, the students, have to get involved with silly stalls?

"Because it's fun." Bloom had said, and of course, she was going to get behind the idea; she came up with it because it was something they did on Earth. "We get to be something other than fairy students for the day and people can come along and see Alfea and get a feel for the school. It'll bring in loads of potential new students-" Where else were female fairies going to go? "-and they'll get to talk to us, the current students, to really see what living at Alfea is like."

"Which is why we locked Amaryl in the freezer," Stella had added. "She'd just scare everyone away."

"Fine," Musa had reluctantly said, "It kind of sounds like fun but a kissing booth? Stella you have a boyfriend!"

"I don't." Layla, their newest addition had pointed out. "Maybe Flora can do some time too."

"Oh, no. I don't think so; it's not really my kind of thing."

"Oh pish-posh. Don't be such a stick in the mud, Flo. You'd totally bring in all the money, guys really go for your exotic looks, nearly as much as they go for my blonde locks."

"Stella, we've lost you. Come back from your dream world." Musa mocked drily, before sending a smirk at the blushing flower fairy. "Besides, Flora doesn't want to ruin her chances with Helia."

"Th-that's not it. That's not it at all. It's just on my home planet it's unseemly-"

"Don't care." Stella piped up. "Think about it, if you do the kissing booth, it'll be the perfect opportunity for Helia to plant a big smackeroo on you!"

"...She's been hanging out with you on Earth again, hasn't she?" Musa asked in an aside to the snickering red head of their group, Princess Bloom of Sparx, previously just Bloom of Earth. Come to Alfea, folks, and find out your hidden heritage. It could be like a promotional advert.

"Stella, quit mocking Flora. If she doesn't want to do time in the kissing booth, she doesn't have to. You can kiss all the guys you want, despite the fact that I don't think Brandon will like the idea too much."

"What's it to do with him? Just because he's my boyfriend doesn't mean he gets to dictate to me what I do!"

"Say it sister." Layla pumped her fist. Girl power, Rah-rah-rah!

Musa shook herself out of her stupor and glanced over at Layla who was kissing a tall tanned Specialist softly on the lips while the others looked on eagerly. At least there were to be no tongue's involved, she thought with a dejected sigh. She nodded to the next boy in her line and waited for him to approach the booth. The line started a good foot away to give the kisser and the kissee some privacy –or as Stella put it, 'in case you want to slip the tongue to a really hot guy but don't want the others to get any ideas!' Stella, Princess of Solaria, ladies and Gentlemen; queen of great ideas.

A hand slapped down on the counter in front of her and she snapped her gaze up and blinked at the seething Specialist in front of her. "Hi."

"What are you doing?"

"It's a kissing booth, see the sign?" She pointed to the board nailed to the top of the man-made booth, the letters 'KISSING BOOTH!' painted on with red paint and decorated with hearts and lips. Definitely a Stella/Bloom concoction. "It's pretty self explanatory. For just five crystolians, I'll give you a kiss on the mouth."

"...you're kidding me."

"Kissing you." She corrected flippantly, even though the only thing flipping were the butterflies in her stomach. Honestly, you'd think she'd be over her nerves by this stage.

"Musa, are you saying you're going to kiss all of those guys? Half of them don't brush their teeth. The other half doesn't have any."

"...Wow, no wonder you're so popular amongst your classmates with such raving reviews, you could practically be the poster boy for Red Fountain."

He levelled her with one long look and she rolled her eyes. "Look it's just for half an hour, then Stella's coming back from her lunch and I'm going to be at that concert I was telling you about."

"Brandon's letting Stella do this?"

"You say that like he has a choice in the matter. This is Stella remember? She could kiss tons of guys and still not consider it cheating."

A small smirk curved his lips. "But you're not Stella."

"Thank you captain Obvious. Great Dragon, your headmaster must be so proud of you." But she was smiling herself. She couldn't help it. The stupid boy just made her grin.

"So do you consider kissing tons of guys cheating?"

"It's not cheating, I'm not cheating. I'm just... not exactly comfortable with this situation." She finally muttered under her breath.

"Oi Riven, either kiss the fairy or leave. I want my turn with her!"

"Oi, idiot, that's my girlfriend and I can talk to her if I want."

"Oi, Musa! We're here to make money, tell your overprotective, chauvinistic boyfriend to take a hike for 30 minutes."

Musa rolled her eyes at Layla who had temporarily removed her lips from a Specialist in order to yell at her. "Riven," She sighed and propped her chin in her palms. "I kind of have to do this. It's for Alfea. But later, you're totally dancing with me at the party."

"I don't-"

"Fine you can stand against the wall and I'll dance."

"I've got a better idea; we find a nice quiet corner and neck."

"Hmm, that is a good idea. Ok, we'll do that. But you have to go... unless you're willing to pay for a kiss?"

"Why pay when I can get them for free?!"

"As a boyfriend, you suck."

Another amused smirk curved his lips as his eyes darkened with amusement and that certain something else that made her stomach clench and her mouth go dry. "I do other things too."

"Prick." She flushed darkly at the implied innuendo. "Leave." She sighed heavily, it would have been nice to kiss Riven first, but maybe she could kiss him later to get rid of the taste of those other boys. They were all probably very nice and good kissers and gorgeous to boot but she didn't want to kiss any of them. Not really, so the whole thing just felt wrong to her.

He lifted his hand from the counter and something caught her eye. "Hey, don't forget your money pouch."

"Keep it. It's yours."

She frowned at him. "The booth's only 5 Crystolians." She informed him, loosening the pouch to peek inside. "That's got to be close to seventy five." Why was Riven carrying that much on him anyway? She'd never quite understand her boyfriend. Six months they'd been dating, which was longer than she'd ever dated anyone. But she still couldn't claim to know exactly what was going on in his head for the majority of the time.

"Do the math, pixie."

"Fairy. A pixie is... ugh!" Why did she always fall into that trap? He knew fine well what a pixie was and he still insisted on calling her one. Ok, she was short but there were shorter fairies out there. "I hate you."

"So you keep telling me. Now, if five Crystolians gets me one kiss, how many will seventy five get me?"

She braced herself against the booth as her heart kicked up a notch and her breathing deepened. "Um..." A lot_,_ was all she kept thinking. A hell of a lot. Maybe half an hour's worth.

"Come on, Muse, you should know this." He taunted smoothly.

She scowled up at him. How was she supposed to think when he was smiling at her like that? Riven barely ever smiled so when he did it made thinking difficult. So she was a mass of hormones, sue her. "Uh... hold on."

"Tick-tock. Tick-tock."

"Shut up!" she grumbled. Well five went into fifty ten times and that left um, five and ten, sixty and another ten is seventy and...

"Come on Riven, sometime today." The boy from the queue snapped, folding his arms and tapping his foot in a way that made Musa's eyes roll. What a jerk.

"What's going on?" Layla demanded from her booth.

"Seventy five Cystolians?"

"In exchange for kisses? Uh, fifteen." Layla answered distractedly. "Why? Oh, you're not serious. Hey, Riven, you have to pay her?"

"Shut up, Layla. Go burn a bra."

"Riven! Come on!"

"You sleaze!"

"I don't even want to know where you heard that from." Musa muttered, palming his money and emptying the small purple jewels into the small box Stella had produced to hold the currency. "But could you please stop harassing Layla. She's my friend, remember."

"So, find a way to shut me up, Musa." He challenged mockingly and her mind was instantly transported back to that day in the rain when he'd told her that he loved her. Her heart did one slow lazy roll.

"I guess I could think of a way." She stepped around the side of the booth.

"Musa, you're ignoring the rules. Behind the booth, remember?"

"That's only to stop some random from feeling you up; I actually want this guy to feel me up." With that, she stuck out her tongue at the dark skinned girl and then turned to Riven, offering him a wicked grin. "Think you're up for the challenge? Fifteen kisses, lover boy. No returns policy."

He rolled his eyes at her before his hand reached out and ensnared her, sending her stumbling into him. She caught herself, bracing her hands on his chest, idly running them over the muscles underneath the tight fitting material of his uniform. Her head tilted back and without any preamble, his mouth slanted over hers and her mind went blissfully blank as his lips pressed heavily against hers. It was all warmth with a lick of fire as he exercised all the self-control he had, bearing in mind they were in public.

Which was strange, Riven wasn't given to public displays of affection. Then again, she rarely needed them when he could communicate a thought with just one look that would send her pulse racing and make her head spin. Layla honestly couldn't understand the attraction and that was fine with Musa. Riven, after all, was hers. Why, in the name of Magix, would she want any of her friends to be attracted to him? She liked having him all to herself, even though it would be nice if her friends and boyfriend got along. It would make their time together easier if she didn't have to play mediator.

But Riven was Riven; he was crass and rude and sometimes unbearably arrogant but he was also kind and strong and courageous, though that could be just recklessness. He was intelligent, he made her laugh and smile, and he listened to her; he made her feel strong and weak at the same time. He was the most important man in her life after her father and she couldn't really imagine her world without him.

They parted after a brief moment before he brushed her lips. One, she counted; barely able to think straight as his hot lips rubbed hers firmly. A low sound melted from her mouth as she dug her fingers into his lower back and strained up against him. He pulled away and his breath ghosted over her tingling lips for half a second; then he covered them again.

She groaned, unable to stop herself. She felt suffused with warmth and, when he lapped at her lower lip, her toes curled as her lips parted. His tongue brushed hers confidently and hot frissons electrified her entire body. She pressed closer; one hand moving up to brush his nape, fingers tracing paths along his skin so that he trembled against her.

The rest of the world melted away and her entire being was centred on him and the way the pads of his warm, rough fingers was stroking the skin underneath her top while the other was resting on her hip, tilting them against him.

Finally, they pulled back as if by mutual decision. Her head fell forward to rest against his chest as she struggled to catch her breath. Before her, Riven's chest rose and fell frantically as he panted softly into her hair.

"One down, fourteen more to go." He whispered and she lifted her head with a laugh.

"That was three."

"One."

"Three."

"The first two don't count."

"Yes, they do."

"No, they don't."

"Yes, they do. You have to be fair."

"I'm not paying for those two, they-"

"I'd watch what you say right now, Riven." She informed him, her tone sugarcoated steel as her chin jutted out defiantly.

He simply smirked and caught her chin between his thumb and index, tilting it to a more accessible angle. Having done so, he lowered his mouth once more so that it hovered over hers sending tingles of anticipation down her spine as his other hand curved intimately over the swell of her hip.

"And this will be two." He murmured. A low moan escaped her lips as her head fell back in acquiescence. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth and she mumbled unintelligently. He released it to chuckle breathlessly and then his eyes darkened perceptibly before his lips took sure possession of her mouth. She pressed close to him, his tongue stroking hers in that familiar but always exciting manner that made kissing him always a pleasure and never a chore. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, feeling the bunch of the muscles underneath his uniform as he changed the angle to deepen the kiss further. For a guy who didn't like PDA's, he really was getting into this.

"Hey, that's not fair! He's only supposed to be allowed one kiss!"

The rude interruption had Musa pulling back to glower at the complaining Specialist. Honestly, who would have thought that Red Fountains' Heroes were made up of whining, hormonally charged brats?

"Well he paid for more." Layla retorted lazily, resting a hip against the side of her booth, arms folded as she anticipated a challenge.

"So if I pay for-"

Riven abruptly swivelled his head to pin the Specialist with a dark look. "Shut your mouth, Adair or I'll shut it for you."

"Look, you either wait your turn or join my queue."

"Come on, Adair, let's join her line." Another Specialist piped up.

"I don't want to join her line. I was next and he skipped the queue."

Musa groaned and began to hit her head lightly off Riven's chest. Boys were so idiotic at times. It was just a kissing booth, no big deal.

"Yeah well she's Riven's girlfriend."

"So, he can have her later."

"If he doesn't shut up, I'm turning him into a frog." Musa muttered much to Riven's amusement.

"Do you hear that, Adair? If you don't shut up, she'll turn you into a frog. I'm sure you'll get loads of kisses then."

"Unfortunately for whatever girl that kisses him, she's not going to end up with Prince Charming." Musa added under her breath.

"Like I'm scared of a Fairy."

A small group of fairies and Specialists who had been wandering past the booth or who had been standing relatively near began to gravitate to the scene beginning to play out. A few of the nearest Fairies who heard his comment were seething and glaring at the Specialist.

"Musa, kick his ass. Show him what a true fairy can do!"

"Go Musa!"

"Your cheerleaders?" Riven wondered quietly, his tone deep with his own amusement. She was beginning to think the only reason he dated her was down to the trouble she seemed to attract.

"Nessa and Pia, they're classmates."

"Will someone get this guy removed from here? He's really beginning to tick me off." Layla growled; taking a sip of water from the plastic cup she'd procured earlier. Musa could tell she was thinking of dumping the liquid over the Specialist but it would be a waste of precious fluid.

"Look, I've been in line for a while and he skipped it; I just want what I'm owed."

"Oh I can assure you'll get what you're owed in a moment." The Princess of Tides threatened darkly.

"It's a kissing booth. It's supposed to be fun, not something to cause a fight over. Get a grip." Nessa snapped, placing a fist on her white Capri pants.

"Yeah, it's not like you Specialists set up one for us fairies!" Another fairy, -Musa recognized her as the dorm patroller Kiloru, a dark haired fairy- pointed out.

"That might be an idea. If Adair wants to get kissed so much, how about we stick him in this booth for a while."

Musa swung her gaze up at Riven and raised a brow as some of the other Specialists present gave nods of agreements –obviously ashamed of their comrade's actions- while the fairies looked sceptical. Adair wasn't bad looking at all, but having seen his temper tantrum, Musa could understand why they were a little wary of him.

"That works for me." Kiloru stated. "What about you, kiddo? You up for it?"

Adair scowled at her before meeting Riven's piercing look. "Fine, I'll do it."

"No pocketing the money for yourself." Layla added.

"What? As if I'd do something so dishonourable. I'm a Specialist, remember?"

"Funny time to remember that." Musa mumbled, as she stepped aside to let the boy stomp past her to take his position behind the booth she'd recently vacated.

"OK, listen up. Boys form a queue in front of me, money at the ready please. One kiss is five Crystolians. It's not that much and all the money goes towards the Alfea fund. All girls in front of Adair... unless you swing the other."

A few fairies hovered uneasily before watching as Kiloru rolled her eyes and strode to the front of the queue, quickly followed by Nessa dragging a bewildered Pia behind her.

"Ooh, a boy! I didn't know there was going to be a Specialist kissing booth."

Musa chuckled as Sirusa, a rather perky brunette, scurried up to take a spot behind Pia and soon enough the other fairies looked at each other and shrugged before digging into their pockets for the money and lining up.

Musa snorted softly to herself and chuckled, lifting her head to look at a rather smug Riven. "I don't think you could have planned all that but I'm really beginning to wonder."

Riven shrugged, using the arm around her shoulders to guide her through the various stalls and clusters of students and Specialists alike. "Why? I just gave away seventy-five Crystolian's that I'm not going to get refunded."

"I told you, no returns policy." At his pointed look, she grunted, "Che, you know fine well you'll get each of those eleven kisses back with interest."

"Eleven? Musa, I got two kisses, I told you the other two were just pecks."

"That's what we were giving the other boys."

Riven lowered his head to whisper in her ear as his fingers toyed with her hair. "Yeah, but I'm not like the other boys. You'd do well to remember that." He said silkily, pressing a soft, sensual kiss to her temple, the innocent touch making her flush heatedly at the promise in his words.

"Like you'd ever let me forget." She retorted hotly but her voice was breathy and her pulse was racing. And suddenly, as he took her hand in his and took her over towards the concert stage, she was glad that Stella had forced her to take her place at the kissing booth. It had just given her yet another moment with Riven to put into her memory box along with all those mental images and pictures she had of her mother and a small purple gem she'd forever keep in memory of that day.

* * *

**A.N.** So that was possibly the first instalment of the memory box series, a series of one-shots based on Musa and Riven's relationship since that fateful day in Unattainable. I have some other ideas for one-shots and I have a one-shot half written that has nothing to do with Unattainable that should be up soon.

Well please review and hopefully, I'll have another piece up soon if I get the inspiration. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to email me or add me on MSN. The address is on my profile. However, bear in mind that I won't be writing any other pairings except maybe Layla/Aisha and Ophir/Nabu but only if someone could tell me what they're like as people. I haven't seen any of them and while I found one picture of them, I still know nothing of their characters.

Another thing is that I am thinking of writing a multi-chapter AU fic for the Winx club involving Musa, Layla/Aisha (I'm thinking I'll stick with Aisha for that one), Flora and Bloom as the main characters. Again, that depends on me being able to use artistic license with the girls and the boys because I base nearly everything off the game based on the first series because I can't watch the series and some of the characters i.e. Helia, Ophir/Nabu and Aisha aren't in the game.

Please remember to review and if anyone has any ideas I could use, by all means tell me and I'll try my best.


	2. Riven's Turn

**A.N.** This chapter alludes to the tenth episode of the third series where Musa gets her Enchantix but it's from Riven's point of view and deals a lot with the Specialists because they're cool. However, this story isn't really based on the series. The timing's off for one thing and it's more or less an unofficial sequel to Unattainable and it will probably have scenes that wouldn't even fit in with the third series.

**Warnings**: Contains minor Bloom bashing because it's from Riven's POV and his view on the fairies isn't too complimentary.

**

* * *

**

Memory Box

**By**: Zadien

Chapter Two: Riven's Turn

Riven had never felt completely at home in Red Fountain during his first year there and again in his second year, he still hadn't come to grips with his demons. And it was funny, he thought, looking back at that time of his life and then comparing it to the present. He'd always resented Sky his royal life style and riches and he resented his friendship with Brandon more. He didn't like how Brandon followed Sky around because out of everyone, he'd always felt a sense of kinship with the brown haired boy. Out of their small group, Brandon was the easiest to get along with. And Timmy, well to him, Timmy was a pathetic weakling who didn't deserve to be at Red Fountain, never mind in the same patrol unit as him.

However, that changed. Ultimately it had to. He had to spend nearly every waking moment with those three boys; if they weren't on missions, they shared the same dorm room and the same chill out spots and even their training regime was the same. Sometimes he believed that the suffocation he felt being around them constantly leant to that resentment brewing within him. They were always so cordial and nice; it was no wonder that, for someone who had such issues with letting people close, he tended to want to drive them away.

He wanted to see how far he could push them, and he pushed them a lot. He mocked their relationships with the girls because he couldn't understand why they wanted to be around them so much. Didn't they have better things to do than to pay mindless compliments to silly, vain fairies? He always could think of better, more interesting things that they could be doing. Like training with the dragons or mucking out all stalls. All of the above seemed preferable to hanging out with those annoying, self involved fairies. But the boys hadn't been able to see that. Instead, they had merrily paired up with them within the first couple of weeks. It sickened him.

The worst part was that he could feel himself being drawn to the quieter member of their group with the sassy temperament and the secretive glint to her eyes. Despite her laughing and joking, there had been something withdrawn about her, something that had tugged reluctantly at his curiosity. That had been a pain in the ass. The female species hadn't exactly interested him before. They were all out for one thing, money. So for all his beliefs, he had fallen just because of a pair of pretty eyes and nice legs –or so he told himself.

And he had been jealous. His 'friends' –because they had only been annoying roommates at the time but they had been better than nothing- had fallen for each and every one of those girls with their long hair, flashy jewellery and short skirts. They didn't spend that much of their free time at Red Fountain anymore. His dorm room had become incredibly empty and he couldn't stand the silence. Training was a farce; half the time he felt as though the guys would rather be somewhere else so he tried to push them to fight harder. It didn't work. They still remained congenial despite everything he said and he still felt like the outsider of the group. He didn't seem to fit in anywhere.

And then he'd fallen under Darcy's spell or hypnosis. He really didn't know what happened to him, just that one day he was himself and the next it was as though he was ­

trapped inside his own body powerless to regain control. And his taunting of the boys became more vicious. He lashed out at any fairy that got too close to him; especially the navy eyed one. He went about his daily classes and chores but it was as though a fog had descended upon him and his thoughts always seemed to circle around Darcy and the witches. Every time he heard something about the jinx club's plans, he felt compelled to run to Darcy to tell her; as though he were some kind of lapdog. Part of him hated himself for turning into a mindless slave, the other part just wanted to hurt the guys and their girlfriends too.

After a long time, the fog had finally lifted and he found himself in the middle of Cloud Tower faced with the three bitches and unsure of what had just happened. Yes, he vaguely remembered but he couldn't figure out why he had been there. Or, more importantly, why he had done what he had done. Vengeance, maybe or pettiness, perhaps he had seen it as a way to settle the score. Whatever the reason, there had been no justification for betraying Red Fountain and in turn the whole of Magix. He had come to Red Fountain to become a hero, hadn't he? What kind of hero sold out his comrades and, in turn, innocent people?

So, bombarded with great self loathing, he had been imprisoned away within the dungeons of Cloud Tower to repent for his sins. Surprisingly enough, when you had nothing to look at but stone brickwork covered with moss and slimy slug trails and spider webs, you found yourself doing a lot of soul searching. And he had his epiphanies. He couldn't say that everything changed within that cell, listening to the loud thud of the marching army of Decay and the low buzz from the security lasers in the corridors –often accompanied by anguished screams of creatures that got too close to the golden beams. However, he did realize some things that he had either been too blind to see or simply didn't want to see. It wasn't just the boys who had been at fault; he hadn't helped himself, constantly pushing aside their offers of friendship and companionship. He didn't make any effort to spend time with them and his frequent jaunts off by himself hadn't helped either. But they didn't have to abandon him so fully when the girls appeared on the scene. Sky was always with the red head and Brandon with the blonde and Timmy with the smart one.

Who was he supposed to hang out with, the flower girl or... the music lover?

That had brought him to his second epiphany. Once he got out of Cloud Tower –and he would get out- he would need to apologize to the blue eyed fairy after he apologized to his friends. Of course, he didn't like apologizing but he had felt she was owed one since he had allowed the Trix to isolate her and attack her. If her friends hadn't come when they had...

"Hey Riven!"

He jolted out of his reverie and narrowed his eyes at the brunette waving his hand before him.

"Move your hand before I remove it for you, Brandon." He snarled grumpily, embarrassed at being caught daydreaming.

"Quit your wool gathering and tell Sky that he's wrong. He's got this warped idea that we're going to have to wrestle dragons in our final exam. I'm telling him it can't be that easy. We accomplished that in our second year."

Riven sighed and shifted in his seat, casting the blond a look. "Seriously? You think that?"

"We learnt to wrestle dragons from the stable," Sky pointed out. "They're as close to tame as they're ever going to be. I think Codatorta might wrangle up some wild ones and set us up against them."

There was a definite gleam in the Eraklyon prince's eyes. Riven sat up, a quiver of excitement curling in his own gut at the idea of wrangling a real, wild dragon. Now wouldn't that be something? "It'd be handy to have our own dragon if some of us are going to the Elites."

"You're going to the Elites?" Brandon piped up, with something between alarm and awe in his tone as he dropped down into the seat opposite him. "Seriously?"

Riven's hackles rose. "What? You think I wouldn't be good enough or something?"

"Not all, I know you'll be good enough, more than... but Riven, the Elites, they go on really tough missions and..." Brandon trailed off helplessly and Riven sighed.

So he hadn't gotten off to the best start with his friends. They came through that. He had apologized; they had fought together in the final battle and in every battle after that. It took a while, sure but they were all the stronger for it. And they had added members to their group, he thought with a quick glance at the silent member leaning against the wall in the corner: Helia, Professor Saladin's passive nephew. The boy didn't seem as though he should fit into the group but he did, seamlessly too. He had slotted into the pairing up system with the Alfea fairies too, his attention immediately gravitating to the flower fairy with a quickness that had disturbed Riven but at the same time tickled his humour. It seemed only natural, since she was the only one left now that Riven had accepted his feelings for Musa.

"I think you'll be good at it. You're smart enough and you have good strategic capabilities, not to mention that you think quickly on your feet and you thrive on the chaos of battle. Out of all of us, I think you'd be the best suited for the Elites." Sky spoke up, stunning Riven with the sincerity of the words. They may have gotten over their difficulties but there was still that unspoken rivalry between them.

"Definitely Riven and Saladin will give you a great reference and you have all your missions for Red Fountain and the battles against the Trix and Darkar to show for your experience. You'll be a shoo-in." Timmy added enthusiastically, taking off his glasses to wipe them on the hem of his shirt.

"What made you want to join the Elites?" This question came from Helia, the quiet, thoughtful member of their group. He never really spoke unless he had something important to say which made him easy to be around, especially for Riven who tended to flare up at the slightest provocation. He was trying to tone down that aspect of his personality.

"I've been thinking about it for a while. I don't have anywhere to go after Red Fountain and I'm not going home." He pointed out harshly but he knew his friends would understand. His 'home' wasn't exactly a place of warmth and comfort. He never went home if he could help it, often staying in Red Fountain with Helia if he could during the holidays and working off his debt by working in the stables with the dragons. "Besides, there's stuff I haven't learnt yet and more dangers out there than we've experienced."

"You could join my guard." Sky offered quietly. It wasn't an order, all of them knew that.

Riven shook his head. "No, thank you but no. The palace life... it isn't for me."

Brandon's lips quirked. "Good thing Musa's not a princess then."

Riven glowered at him. "How was I to know about the ins and outs of the Melody's politics?"

"What about Musa? Have you told her about your plans?" Helia questioned, once again showing he was thinking harder than the other three dweebs.

"I'll tell her. She'll be fine with it. She's got to finish her final year in Alfea so..."

Brandon frowned. "Are you going to break up with her? It's not like you'll see her much."

"I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it." Riven bit out, flopping back on his seat and sulking. Just once he didn't want to think about the end of this year and the start of next year. He'd never been in a long term relationship –the one with Darcy didn't count; he'd been under a spell-, he'd never had to think of someone else when he made his decisions. He didn't like it. And while part of him wanted to say it had nothing to do with Musa, he couldn't quite believe that.

"But Riv-"

"Leave it." Helia stated quietly, taking out his phone as it buzzed quietly in his pocket. The quiet but happy smile that curved his lips told Riven who it was from and his depression deepened. What were the other guys going to do when the year was over? Sky and Brandon had no choice; they were going to Eraklyon to become a prince and a knight respectively. But Sky's parents had met and approved of Bloom so it wasn't unlikely that he would be allowed time off to visit Bloom and he'd take Brandon with him naturally. Helia had made mutterings about staying at Red Fountain with his uncle and becoming a teacher of evasive manoeuvres for a year before he and Flora went off to work with nature. (Or so Brandon liked to joke, even though Helia hadn't made a move on the shy flower girl yet –Riven wanted to tell him to just get it over with but who was he to say anything when he waited so long with Musa. Still they would be finished school soon; maybe Helia had the right idea.) He didn't know about Timmy, though, but with his strategic abilities and technological know-how, it wouldn't surprise Riven if the guy was snapped up to work in security.

Either way, the boys would all be close enough to the girls. He, however, wouldn't be if he joined the Elites. He would be gone for the entire week and he might be able to have a few days at the weekend off but the likelihood of him wanting to do anything but sleep was slim. This also meant that he'd have to go looking for some place to live before the summer too. He couldn't stay at Red Fountain this year, even if Saladin had approached him about running a short summer school for potential heroes. He might do it though, but he couldn't stay there. It would be best to get an apartment to live in for the summer and just cut the ties as soon as possible so he could get used to living on his own completely. He snorted at the wiggle of fear deep inside at being truly alone for the first time in a long time. Maybe Musa would vis- he shook his head abruptly. He couldn't continue relying on her. If she visited, she visited and he'd like that but there would be no pressure.

The door to their dormitory burst open and Bishop strode in, surveying the room with a quick surreptitious glance taking in all their positions and making a note of all the exits just as every Specialist had been taught. "Saddle up, boys; we're moving out!"

"What's the mission, Bishop?" Brandon jumping to his feet and hurrying out after the taller boy with a purple pony tail.

"The witches of Cloud Tower are attacking Alfea; we're to provide back up and aide wherever needed."

Riven's brow furrowed as his eyes swept out the window as the seven of them marched down the corridor. Alfea was in the opposite direction of his dormitory so he hadn't seen the grim clouds or lightning gathered over the fairy school but now he could clearly see the spears of lightning and the volatile vortex of purple light. Valtor, he growled mentally. If that bastard had laid one hand on his Musa, Riven would make sure he paid. His hand clutched compulsively around the purple medallion hidden down inside his top and yanking it out, he pressed it to his heart activating the magic suppressed within. Instantly and subtly, he was encased in the uniform of Red Fountain.

His gloved hands fisted as they made their way down the stairs and merged into the flow of students making their way towards the hanger.

"Why would the witches attack Alfea? I thought they were on friendly terms?"

"They're witches," Riven growled. "Who knows what goes on inside their heads?"

Brandon and Sky exchanged a quick, pointed look before quickly averted their gazes when the subject of their thoughts glowered at them.

"Be that as it may, our mission is to provide backup for Alfea and to disable the witches. No killing them. Saladin infers that they may be under a spell."

"Valtor?"

"Affirmative."

"You know, I'm really beginning to hate that bastard."

"Brandon! Don't curse." Timmy chided earning a bemused look from the brunette.

"Valtor's lured Faragonda away." Riven heard a specialist mention as he and his group marched up the ramp into the Airship, Alpha 02.

"And their barrier has fallen." Lance added as he fell in behind them. He was a tall specialist with broad shoulders, slate blue hair and lighter bangs framing his face. He was also an incredible marksman with a bow and energy arrow. "Looks like something really bad is going on there."

"Valtor could be synonymous with bad." Brandon mused. "But I prefer evil bastard."

"Brandon!"

"Brandon! That kind of speech is for a sailor, not a Specialist."

Brandon winced as Riven chuckled. Codatorta sent them a grim look as he climbed into the carriage and took a seat in the back, strapping himself in. Up front, Helia slid into the pilots' seat while Timmy took his seat at the communications booth.

"Estimated time of arrival, five minutes."

"Make it three and I'll give you a break from training tomorrow morning." Codatorta challenged.

"Yes sir!"

Riven seethed. He could make it there in two minutes but it wasn't his turn to fly the machine. Why couldn't the witches attack next week? He could get them there and back in two minutes.

"Alright boys," Codatorta took charge as the ship began to rise from the ground, thrusters making a loud thrumming sound forcing the tall brash man to pitch his voice over it. "Here's the plan, you get in there and you give the fairies whatever support they need. Valtor is not to get into Alfea!"

"What if this is a trick?" Rick, a short blond haired specialist sitting on the other side of Lance, demanded. "What if he's using this as a decoy to get us to lower our defences?"

"That's why we haven't left our place unguarded. Just the three troops have been deployed and Saladin is capable of keeping Valtor out."

Yeah, 'cause the old man made such a great job of keeping the Trix out, Riven thought sourly only to yelp as a large hand slapped the back of his head. "What the hell?!"

"You shouldn't doubt your superiors, Riven. You'll make a damn fine hero boy," the gruff man stated, "but only if you learn to respect those who give you orders."

"Yeah, yeah, old man. I got it." It wasn't that he had any disrespect for Saladin. He was quite spry for such an old man but he did have his odd, pensioner moments. Like that one time he forgot to put on his pants or the time he announced to the entire school his love for prune juice or the time he'd lose his staff only for it to be found sitting in the bathroom where the old man had left it. Riven shuddered. The hell if he ever wanted to become that old and forgetful.

"Hey Sky, don't worry. Bloom will be ok. Valtor's probably fighting Faragonda; he's not going to be anywhere near her." Brandon stated to the morose blond who nodded quietly.

"Far as I saw, those fairies could take care of themselves. I don't think there's anything you need to worry about." Bishop stated.

"Like you're not worried." Riven snorted.

Bishop shifted uncomfortably as the others studied him with growing interest. Given that Bishop always gave off an aura of detachment and dedication to nothing but his fighting and studies, the implication that he might actually have a girlfriend was a surprise to all the boys.

"That's not important boys. We're here for a mission, not for you to pick up a few lassies."

"That's just a bonus." Brandon grinned cheekily causing the others to hide their amusement when Codatorta fixed him with a narrow look.

"Aye, a female will be the death of you, you mark my words young man."

"Well, if I die in the arms of a pretty girl, then I'll die happy."

"And Stella will bring you back and kill you herself if you do." Riven muttered.

The ship pitched to the side and they shouted their complaints while Helia fought with the controls.

"Sorry about that, looks like we're not going to be getting a friendly reception."

"_We're probably going to be knocked out of the air by friendly fire_!"A voice crackled over the radio.

Riven unstrapped himself, ignoring Codatorta's protests and orders to get back in his seat and stumbled his way to the front. "What's going on?" He demanded as he reached Helia's chair and held on tight.

"Some of the witches are attacking us."Helia replied soberly as his fingers deftly ran over the controls, "Shields are up but they're not going to last for long under this duress, not to mention the friendly fire Aster mentioned."

"We can't land." Riven surmised.

Helia shook his head. "It would be impossible. There's no clearing even if we could get down there, too many allies on the ground and they're erecting the shield again."

"The fairies can't call off their attacks; that would be leaving an opening." Something caught his gaze and Riven narrowed his eyes just as Timmy cussed quietly under his breath drawing surprised looks from the others.

"It's the Trix."

"You're surprised?" Brandon wondered, bemused. "Don't they always turn up whenever there's a chance to attack Alfea?"

"_Sir, what do we do_? _There's nowhere to land!"_

Riven scowled and reached for the radio. "You're not going to land. You're going to find a nice place to hover and we're going to use ropes to get down to the ground."

"That's too dangerous Riven. With this much fire power flying around, some of the ropes are bound to sever."

"Our ropes are spelled against such events." Bishop growled, holding tight to a strap wrapped around his hand as the ship bucked to the side. "Just hold on tight and you should be fine."

"What about the hover boards?"

Riven looked at Sky and nodded, picking up the radio again. "All those with long range weapons take the hover boards and provide air support to give those on the ropes time to get down."

"And this is why he's going to join the Elite." Brandon joked but there was an air of pride to the words as Riven stalked to the back of the ship, his hands already working on the straps holding the hover boards to the walls of the cargo hold. It didn't take long to unbuckle them and while the other boys set them up, he moved to the winch in the corner.

He took hold of the end of the rope and began to unwind it. "We need to anchor this and then we need to open the door."

"I hate heights." Rick muttered earning a dark look from the red haired Specialist.

"Do you think any of us like heights? Swinging from a rope wasn't exactly what I planned to do today."

Brandon grinned having heard the sharp words. "Yeah, but you love this kind of thing."

Riven smirked darkly, feeling a twinge of excitement as his blood began to pump warmly. Despite the situation, Brandon was right. He lived for this sort of thing, the heat of battle, dare devil stunts. It's what broke up the mediocrity of life for him. God knows how he would have coped if he followed his father into such a mundane job such as counting other people's money for them.

"Right, prepare to disembark."

"I'm going to be sick."

Riven shot a dark look at Rick. For all his tall intimidating looks, Rick could be such a whiner. He whined when the food was too cold. He whined when people didn't move fast enough for him. He just whined!

"Well be sick on a witch!" Bishop snapped, grabbing the rope and feeling the weight in his gloved hands.

The ship pitched once more and Helia muttered under his breath as he struggled for control. Something was burning somewhere, Riven could smell the acrid stench of smoke and feel the electricity charged air; a clear sign that magic was being used as it caused the hairs on his arms and neck to stand on end.

"If you guys are going to do this, you'd better do it, now! Once their shield goes up, it won't be coming down just to let us in."

Riven nodded abruptly and headed for the hanger door, yanking it open and feeling the gusty wind tugging and pulling at him as he stood in the door way surveying the damage. Rain soaked the air, spitting on his face and casting dark splotches on his uniform. Smoke billowed from the craters of earth and fires licked at the shrubbery. Lightning struck the ground causing dust to fly up from the impact while pure pulses of fairy magic soared into the sky.

He took the rope bundled around his arm and tossed it down, watching it snake its way to the ground, the air causing it to whip around in an utter frenzy but as soon as the weight at the bottom hit the ground, the rope steadied enough for them to get down.

Sky stepped up and launched his cyan blue boomerang into the air, knocking out two witches who were slumped close to them.

"Right, air team, go!"

Their postures were wrong, Riven thought, even as he stepped aside to allow the four boys on the hover boards to launch themselves out of the ship. He watched as Bishop and Lance approached the door, Lance already activating the energy bolts for his long bow. Both boy exited and left Timmy to take his own spot, and after Helia put the ship on auto pilot, he took his own hover board and headed for the door; his gaze meeting that of his friends. Sky smiled, Brandon gave him a thumbs-up and Riven merely nodded his encouragement. They'd been in this position time and time before; they knew what they had to do.

Both boys dived from the hanger spiralling down through the sky before using their heels to tilt the tip upwards and slow their descent before they urged their boards up and ­

soared into the air. Using their weapons to stun any witch and shield any spell that got too close to their ship.

"I guess this is our turn." Brandon stated quietly, his own gaze running over the scene of destruction. "Where do you suppose Faragonda is?"

"Never mind that now lad. That woman is strong enough to take on ten men, Valtor made a mistake taking on her."

"Still..." Brandon murmured before shaking his head. "You're right. Let's do this. There are damsels in distress to save."

"And distressed damsels when they see who's come to save them." Riven muttered to Sky who snorted a quick laugh but his blue eyes remained sober. Riven knew why. Bloom was everything Sky wanted in a girl –then again, next to Diaspro, anything was good- but the girl had a nasty way of attracting trouble and in turn leading her friends into trouble with her. While the logical part of Riven knew that it wasn't Blooms fault, she never asked for the 'Dragon Fire'; another part of him blamed her for putting Musa's life in danger so many times. Not that Musa ever saw it like that. Then again, Musa was just stubborn and refused to see things clearly because she was constantly ruled by her emotions.

"I resent that." Brandon grumbled before taking the rope. "Looks like it's all clear. See you guys down there." Without anymore ceremony, he turned his back to the open doorway and launched himself out of the ship.

Riven, clutching the side of the ship as it hummed softly, peered down to watch his friends' descent and once he was half way down, Riven nudged Rick. "Go!"

The blond balked before summoning his courage and taking hold of the rope, he too pushed himself out the door. Sky glanced at Riven and met his gaze.

"Just like scaling the Pinnacle Cliff."

"Except there're no jagged rocks, spikes or blood thirsty birds." Riven agreed, "Just a lot of spell happy witches and fairies with bad aim."

Sky reluctantly smiled and began his own journey down not that Brandon was on the ground and holding the rope steady, it movement was quicker and easier. Riven glanced at Codatorta. "Do you want to go next, sir?"

"And say I left a student in charge?! Hell no, boy. Off you go!" Riven jerked a shoulder and taking the thick rope between his gloved hands, he turned his back to the open door and kicked out from the soles of his feet. For a moment he hung perilously in the air as his feet fought for purchase around the slender rope and then he began to move down, the rope sliding easily through his hands. He swallowed thickly as the rope began to stir with the wind as his body began to twist with it. Lightning and fairy lights flew through the air around him, lighting up the darkness for brief moments as the rain continued to fall to the ground, soaking face and sliding down his back.

His head tilted to look at the ground and he let out a sigh of relief as he saw the faces of his friends looking up at him just as the he felt the rope tighten above him as Codatorta begin his own descent. Around him, he could see the other Specialists making their way down as others intercepted attacks with their shields or knocked by spells with their weapons. A fleeting grin crossed his face as he witnessed Helia's neon ropes fastening themselves around the waist of an overeager witch, yanking her away from a young fairy. Seemingly, while still remaining passive, Helia had gotten over his urge to treat everyone with courtesy. To Riven's point of view, that was a good thing, manners weren't exactly a focal point of war.

A flash of light caught his attention and he reached automatically for his shield knowing too late that he was probably going to have to take the hit, when there was a low hum and an audible 'zing' as lightning clashed with Brandon's green broad sword. The brunette swiped his sword in an arc and deflected the blast away, shooting Riven a quick grin.

"Gotta be faster, buddy."

"Brandon!" Sky shouted just as another spear of lightning lanced towards him. Riven growled, reaching for his shield once again, only for a large burst of light to explode above them. Riven lifted his hand to cover his eyes as he squinted up into the sky.

"Leave my boyfriend alone!"

Riven sighed, his shoulders slumping. Typical fairy. Brandon just smiled in that goofy way of his whenever Stella was around. The blonde slowly floated down to them and place a perfectly manicured hand on her cocked hip, shadowed by the dark skinned fairy that always seemed to have a problem with him. Even now she was glaring at him. Riven rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Red Fountain and Alfea are allies; if you're in danger, we're here to help." Bishop stated formally before Riven could open his mouth. He pretty much would have said the same... only a little more caustically, because come on, why did she think they were there? They'd hardly come for a picnic!

"Aye, lassies, now where's Faragonda?" Codatorta demanded, yanking down on the end of the rope so that Sky could untie the anchor and then Codatorta released it, sending the rope zipping back up into the Alpha 02. The ship slowly began to shut the door and then with the slow precision of the autopilot, the ship took off back to Red Fountain.

Layla's expression fell and Riven quirked a brow. Maybe she wasn't as tough as she acted. "Valtor lured her away."

"And before we could help her, those stupid witches started attacking us. I mean, what on Magix is wrong with them? We're supposed to be friends, yeesh!"

"When we were leaving Red Fountain, I noticed a purple light over Cloud Tower... like the sign, you know, _his_ sign." Rick mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

"He means the sign of Valtor." How on earth was Rick going to be a Specialist if he couldn't even say the bad guys' name? _His_ and _Her_ would get awfully confusing after a while.

"Yeah, and check out the way they're moving. It's like they're just suspended in the air, there's no life to them; they're just hanging there, moving as if they're on strings."

"Puppets." Riven muttered causing Brandon to nod.

Brandon nodded. "I'd say they've all been marked by Valtor, which means-"

"Griffin's been captured. Oh no!" Stella flopped down onto her knees. "This is just so unfair. How can Valtor do this?"

"I don't know, Stella, but come on, if we stick together, we can beat him."

Or Bloom would, Riven thought snidely; wasn't that always how it went? They took on the army and she saved the world and got all the praise. As if guessing the route his thoughts were taking, Sky sent him an inscrutable look. Riven rolled his eyes but mustered up a wane 'everything's fine' smile.

"Where's Bloom?"

Come to think of it, where was Musa? Usually she would be quick to pop up and make a snarky comment about his rush to the rescue. It would always be in good humour, of course, she'd never turn down the chance to be rescued by him. His smirk died off as he scanned the skies. No really, where was she? He couldn't see or hear her anywhere. Nor could he find the star of the damn show.

"Bloom and the others went to check the school and we're to keep the barrier going."

A sudden movement to the side garnered Riven's attention and he slipped his hand inside his cloak, pulling out his mace and after swinging it over his head, he released it. It flew through the air before wrapping round another witch about to attack. She fell to the ground, flopping and writing like a landed fish.

"Ok, we'll go check on them." Sky volunteered, though everyone knew that was code for 'I need to make sure Bloom's safe so she can have my babies and be my queen'.

Riven sneered.

"Fine, I'll go with you."

"I'll stay here." Brandon offered, sending Stella a quick but reassuring hand squeeze. "I'll help the grounded fairies that don't have their winx yet."

Stella nodded. "There are only a few fairies that don't have it and there's a few who haven't had a chance to change, if you could provide them with some cover, it'd be much appreciated."

Bishop nodded and unsheathed his twin swords while Rick sighed. "I could go with you guys. Provide backup."

"No!"

"Stay here, you'll get more battle experience." Sky added to gentle Riven's unnecessary harsh words, not that Riven thought they were unnecessary or harsh.

"Right, Riven and Sky, you two check the school and make sure there's nothing amiss there. Stay in contact; the rest of you men, follow me. Maybe we can go check on Faragonda and make sure she's ok."

"Sir, permission to stay on the ground to help the younger fairies?"

"Aye, permission granted. Just don't trip over yer own tongue."

Riven sent a smirk in the brunette's direction just as a shout went out over head.

"INCOMING!"

Riven fired up his shield and braced it against the lance of lightning zigzagging over the ground, making a 'zzzap!' sound as it bounced off the flat panel of purple energy. Beside him he could see Sky gritting his teeth as his own blue shield flickering to life while the two fairies over head floated back to back with their arms outstretched to repel any incoming attacks.

"When we say go, make a run for the school!" Aisha ordered over head as she and Stella slowly revolved mid air. Side by side, the two girls lined up their attacking hand and with their brows furrowed in concentration, their bodies began to vibrate with the tension and a bolt of white light burst from their open palms.

"CONVERGENCE!"

Riven shook his head lightly at their combined outcry. He would never understand why the fairies needed to label and call out each and every attack they fired. It was time consuming and unnecessary but he couldn't tell them that. They had their way of working and the Specialists had theirs.

"Now!"

Sky and Riven wasted no time, running full out towards the school, ducking and dodging any in coming attacks though as they progressed further towards the building looming before them, the attacks became less frequent as the shield the fairies were working upon gathered strength.

They raced up the steps, taking two at a time before they burst in the front doors and into the entrance hall. They came to a stop, eyes flickering from left to right as they tried to work out which direction the girls would have gone. Riven's attention focused on Sky to make the decision.

"If you were Bloom, where would you go?" After all, Bloom would be making the decisions, not Musa; she would just follow the other girls.

"It depends..."Sky mused, his eyes trailing up the grand staircase before him. "I don't know the situation of why she came in here or who was with her."

"Well given the fact that I didn't see the flower girl, your Sparky, Tecna or my Muse around, I'd say those are the ones in here." Riven drawled. Honestly, it was pretty obvious who was with Bloom.

"But may-" Sky broke off suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

Riven nodded. Footsteps coming from their left. Both boys turned with their weapons raised in defensive stances as out of the corridor to their left, three girls burst out. "Specialists?" the first queried.

Riven had never seen her before so he had no clue who she was but the wings told him that they were certainly fairies.

Sky smiled at them and stepped forward, hand raised in the Eraklyon salute. The guy was such a prince! "My names Sky and that's Riven."

One of the girls from the back stepped forward and Riven's eyes narrowed on her. She was faintly recognizable, which meant that he'd probably seen her talking to Musa once or twice but again, the name escaped him. "Bloom and Musa's boyfriends, right? My name's Nessa. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Bloom and Musa." Riven muttered and refrained from rolling his eyes. Why else did she think they were there? If all the fairies in Alfea were this stupid, it was a miracle that Alfea had survived so long. Faragonda must have been one hell of a spell caster to keep this place standing. For Musa's sake, he hoped the old woman was ok.

"Oh we split up, I think they were going to check the west block and we were going to check the east block but we lost Galatea and neither of us can get in contact with her. It's so not like her to just run off on her own."

Galatea... Galatea...now why was that name familiar? Oh. The princess of Melody. Well crap, if she was in trouble then Musa wouldn't even think twice about going to her aid. He growled under his breath. "Where did you lose her?"

"On the second floor." The second fairy (who hadn't spoken before) blurted out before blushing shyly under their inspection. Riven growled under his breath but stilled when Sky sent him a quiet look before the prince turned his baby blues on the girls and made them sigh and swoon when he smiled cordially at them.

"Thank you for your help, we'll be going now. Be careful and hopefully, we'll see you soon."

"Oh yes, take care!" The one called Nessa cried out behind them as both boys strode up the stairs followed by a wave of giggling.

"Do you have to _do_ that?" Riven muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Do what?" At Sky's innocent reply, Riven simply shook his head. Of course, blondie wouldn't understand the fickle minds of the female species. He'd only ever had eyes for Bloom and Sparky could do no wrong in his books. Though he couldn't imagine that Sky had never encountered any simpering females at court... then again, with Diaspro as his bridezilla-to-be, he probably didn't. He could easily imagine the old crone scaring off any girls who happened to look sideways at her 'true love'. Great dragon damn him, if he wasn't glad he had Musa. She'd never swoon or preen around him and she certainly hadn't batted her eye-lashes to gain his attention. No she'd done that by grit and sheer passion for her friendships and the salvation of magix from the hands of the witches. That and she had great legs and she was so cute when she was angry.

"Do what?" Sky asked again.

"Act like Prince Charming and make all the girls simper and swoon? Is it something they taught you at your palace?"

"It's called chivalry, maybe if you tried it, you might be more popular with the girls too."

"Why would I want to be popular with the girls?" Riven snapped back, jogging down the corridor as his eyes scanned along the open classroom doors. Usually the doors would be closed when there were no classes going on but it was handier that they were open.

"Because it's nice to have friends, Riven."

Riven rolled his eyes. Of course Sky would be spouting the values of friendship and the goodness of having a fellowship with his peers but that was Sky. Riven didn't need that kind of drivel. "I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs fri-"

"I have friends. I have you guys and I have Musa. You're all the friends I need. The rest of those people are just that, people. I don't want to know them or talk to them or even lead them on. I'm happy with my lot."

"What do you mean, lead them on?"

Riven quirked a brow and gave Sky a flat look. "You think smiling at those girls isn't giving them ideas? Half of those silly little bints base their dreams of a nice husband over smiles and kind words."

Sky frowned and his mouth opened to rebuke the statement that Riven knew was completely true. He may not have had that much experience talking to those bubble-brained fairies but he could observe well enough to form his own opinions.

"That's not tr-" but before Sky could finish the sentence, Riven held up his hand and tilted his head to catch the sound that had garnered his attention.

"I think the girls are up ahead." He muttered, taking the lead and unsheathing his sabre holding it defensively as he stalked around the corner and up the stairs. Lights glowed merrily up above them, suspended from the ceiling while pictures and artwork from previous students decorated the walls.

"I can hear something crackling." Sky spoke softly.

Riven strained his hearing to pick up the sound his friend had mentioned but if it was there, it was drowned out by the familiar shouts of the girls. He cursed under his breath and picked up his pace, jogging briskly up the stairs and onto the corridor, passing by empty classrooms and potted plants. He loped around the corner before faltering at the scene before him. The library sign above the door glinted in the light but his attention was fixed on the orange flames licking at the floor. Three figures were standing just beyond the doorway, staring into the flames and clutching each other for support. Riven sighed and slowed to a saunter.

"Bloom!" Sky shouted racing past to embrace the red haired trouble-magnet.

"Sky!"

"What happened?" The blond prince asked, brushing soot from the fairy's face while Riven frowned at the scene before him. Three fairies? Shouldn't there be a few more? Where was Musa? Hadn't she come in with them or was she off with Galatea?

"...Trix...Galatea...spells...wings...broken...Musa..." Riven tuned back in to the red head's blubbering, "We couldn't follow her."

"Where's Musa?!" Riven barked, turning his blistering gaze on the other two cowering fairies who were numbly crying and holding on to each other. The flower girl hiccupped while Tecna sniffed subtly. "Where's Musa?!"

"Riven..." Sky trailed off distraught and averted his gaze to the blazing fire inside the library. Why hadn't someone activated the sprinkler system? Why was no one getting water? Wasn't the bra-burner a water fairy? Why wasn't she in here? And where on Magix was Musa?!

"Musa is in the library. We cannot get in and we cannot put out a magically induced fire. I am sorry Riven but Musa is..."

Riven stared at the pink haired fairy, a loud roaring echoing through his ears. He could see her lips moving but he couldn't make out the words other than the first four. Musa was in the library? But why? It was on fire. She wouldn't be in there if it was on fire. That was stupid. His Musa wasn't stupid. No, she was too smart and too strong and too brave...no she wouldn't... she couldn't...

"Don't say that!"

The group started and stared at the usually timid flower fairy. "Musa will be ok! Just you wait!"

"But Flora, I couldn't put out the fire."

"This is all Galatea's fault. If she had not run back in, Musa would not have followed her." Tecna bit out, her voice terse and strained as she struggled not to release her emotions.

Riven shook his head at them. He didn't understand what they were trying to say. Even as Sky walked up and pressed a hand to his shoulder, he didn't understand. Musa was in the library? The one in front of him going up in flames? He shrugged off the hand and stumbled forward, his legs strangely weak. He couldn't seem to breathe properly, maybe it was the smoke or the stone that seemed to be lodged in his chest.

"Riven!"

"I'm going in!"

"You cannot!" Tecna snapped; her voice suddenly cold and cutting. "There is no way to put out the flames; you will just end up incinerated too!"

"So?! She needs help!"

"Musa's strong; she'll get out but it wouldn't be fair to make her worry about you too, Riven. You need to stay here and lend her your strength from here." Flora murmured, coming close and squeezing her hand. "Musa will get out of this and she'll save Galatea and the magic book of spells too."

Screw the magic book of spells and Galatea too, Riven wanted to snap but he found his throat had closed up and he couldn't seem to force out any words at all. His eyes were burning from the heat of the magical flames and his nose prickled from the acrid stench of smoke and burning books.

"Come on Musa." Bloom whispered inching closer.

"You can do it Musa." Flora added under his breath, squeezing his hand tightly within hers. He didn't have to heart to wrench it out of her grasp, not when it seemed to be the only thing holding him up. Sky was on his other side, studying the flames with an inscrutable look that Riven recognized from their practice battles. As if by just looking at it, the plan he sought would come to light.

"Look!"

Riven snapped his gaze to follow the direction of Tecna's pointing finger and frowned. He couldn't see anything but flames and smoke. He opened his mouth to growl at her but a pulse of light caught his eye. "What is that?"

"Purple light? But..."

"Oh my!"

"What's going on?" Riven snarled, he hated not knowing things and these fairies always seemed to be keeping things from him.

"Could it be?"

A breathless laugh burst from Flora's lips as she smiled. "She's done it!"

"What? What has she done?" Fear clawed at his throat even as something warm blossomed inside him.

"Musa has gained her Enchantix." Tecna's voice was filled with pride as she swallowed thickly and blinked back the tears in her eyes.

"Everything's going to be ok now!" Bloom added, pressing her lips together.

The purple light seemed to gather more force, becoming so bright it almost turned to white light and amidst it; he could work out the silhouette of a figure gracefully twirling inside. Musa.

"What does that mean?" He asked hoarsely, the lump in his throat made it hard to speak.

The light suddenly dispersed and Riven waited with baited breath. The air was suddenly heavy with magic and his hair stood on end as the flames seemed to die down around the library. Lower and lower they fell until, as though a breath of air had blown over them, they were gone.

"Wow."

"So that's the extent of the Enchantix." Bloom mused. "It could put out the fire that I couldn't even stop."

Riven sent her a flat look as he stalked into the library. Did she believe there was an unwritten rule that she had to be the one to save the day all the time?! He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to fight with her.

"It cures blindness, breaks mind controlling spells and extinguishes fires... hmm; no wonder the Enchantix is so important." Flora murmured, inching closer to the library.

Riven barely heard her words as he swept the room with his gaze. The library looked none the worse for wear. In fact, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed there had been a fire. There were no burn marks on the carpets and the library books shelved along the wall were utterly fine except for a few that showed a lightly bruised and sooty appearance.

But the library and its contents were the least of his worries, no his attention was focused on something much more important to him. His fairy. Musa. She was at the other side of the library hugging a platinum blonde tightly. He figured she must have been the Princess Galatea that the girls had mentioned; the one that had run back into the fire and almost killed his girlfriend. He clenched his fists tightly. What would have happened, he wondered, if Musa hadn't gained her Enchantix? Would the prissy blonde princess have done anything? Ha, probably not, he thought with a dark glower. The girls separated and Musa began to guide her towards the door only to falter when she caught sight of him. Her brows furrowed in confusion before her face lit up and her pace quickened.

However, Riven found himself looking away from her face and instead concentrating on her outfit. His lips parted and his mouth went dry. What on Magix was she wearing? Where was her winx outfit? Gone was the red sparkly outfit that was just modest enough to be decent and instead...

He swallowed hard and slowly ran his gaze up and down her body.

Her hair, which had already been growing out to begin with now reached her knees and was in its usual bunches. The top was magenta with frilly tangerine ruffled strips decorating it, though it didn't cover much. Her skirt was just as short, the same warm magenta with the tangerine strip fluttering from the left side. Her impossibly long legs (he was sure they were longer than ever before) were no longer encased in platform boots but in strappy sandals and her arms were covered by translucent shoulder length gloves. She looked amazing, a little too naked for his liking but stunning none-the-less. It sort of made him wonder where his tomboy girlfriend had gone. However, the most definitive part of the outfit was the large yellow wings spreading out from behind her, speckled with purple sparkly stuff.

"Hey." She greeted breathlessly.

"Uh," he had to clear his throat and his cheeks flushed slowly. "Hey. Uh... what is that? I-I mean, your outfit..." he trailed off as he took in the picture she made.

"My Enchantix." She smiled tremulously before throwing herself against him and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. He shifted uncomfortably due to the skin he could feel being pressed against him but his hormones were quickly doused when he felt her tremble against him and he heard her hitching breaths. The outfit could wait, right now she needed comfort and she seemed to want it from him. He wrapped his own arms around her and buried his face into her silken hair only to yank back as something pricked his cheek. A tiara? He plucked it off agitatedly and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded but remained quiet, breathing slowly in and out as though trying to calm herself. That was just fine with him. Yeah, that was just fine with him. His hand ran up and down her back, skimming his fingers over the naked skin exposed by the skimpy top but he didn't mind the electric buzzing in his fingertips, instead he was just content to reassure himself that she was alive.

A loud commotion arose behind him and he looked over his shoulder, annoyance etched into his features as he spotted the rest of the group gathered around the princess of Melody while shooting them curious and concerned looks. Something was said that made all the girls smile warmly and the flower girl hugged the Melodeon princess tightly.

Musa sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly before pulling away, offering him a soft smile that made something inside him melt. He lowered his lips to hers, offering a gentle kiss before pulling away. They had an audience and he wasn't intent on giving them a free show.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're Alfea's allies... besides; I knew you couldn't keep out of trouble. I figured I'd have to come and save your cute backside. It'd be such a shame if something happened to it." His grin was just a step away from being a leer and instead of offending her, it made her laugh just as he'd intended.

"I should go talk to the girls." She mumbled; linking her hand with his, her lips –now glossed with something pink and glossy making them look invitingly wet and delicious- curved into a pout when he refused to budge. "Riv?"

"It probably wouldn't be very smart for me to go over there right now, Muse." He muttered tightly, fixing a glare on the platinum blonde.

Musa followed his gaze. "Riven, that's Galatea. She's the princess of Melody."

"She's also the idiot that almost got you killed; forgive me if I don't go over and bow."

Her brows quirked up before she sighed. "That's not fair. The Trix broke her wings and she ran back inside to make sure that none of the spell books could be destroyed. She was trying to do what she thought was right."

"Running into a burning room seemed the right thing to do? And her wings look fine to me."

"Well of course they do, I healed them."

His gaze snapped to her. She healed them? He might not know much about fairies but he learnt enough to know that without their wings, they were pretty much defenceless; not to mention that once broken, they hardly ever regenergated. So how had Musa healed them? "How?"

"Fairy dust, it pretty much heals everything." She replied easily, "I'll be back in a minute, ok? Stay here."

With that, he watched her walk off to be greeted by her friends who hugged her tightly and laughed joyfully with her as they congratulated her on achieving her Enchantix. He looked away as Helia and Brandon approached. "Hey."

"Hey." Helia greeted quietly, studying the walls and ceiling while Brandon sidled up to him. "Doesn't Musa look great?"

Riven sent him a dark look. "Don't even think of it."

"Don't worry man, I'm happy with Stella but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a great pair of legs and jeez that skirt does not hurt them in the slightest."

"The fire doesn't seem to have done too much damage."

Riven shook his head. "It was unreal. One minute the flames were almost reaching to the ceiling and eating everything in its path and then they're suddenly dying down and it's like they were never there."

"Fairy dust, never underestimate it." Brandon quipped... as if he had dealt with a lot of fairy dust in his time. Riven growled at him causing the brunette to chuckle.

Helia cleared his throat and removed his jewel slipping it under his shirt as his uniform melted away causing the other boys to follow. "Any leads on who started it?"

"Well according to the girls, the Trix were in here after spell books, so I'm guessing it was one of them, maybe Stormy and her lightning powers."

"Actually, I heard Bloom say that Darcy started it."

Riven's expression turned black. "Darcy?" He spat out the name through clenched teeth. That bitch again?! "She'll not be satisfied until she has Musa killed." He could still remember the attack in Musa's dorm room when Muse had almost been trapped in another dimension of darkness.

"The Trix are becoming reckless, especially with Valtor as their esteemed leader." Brandon growled, showing a flash of the temper he so rarely exhibited.

"It surprises me that each evil sorcerer chooses the Trix as his lackeys. Surely they must realize that against the girls, the Trix just don't have the strength to fight. They're outnumbered two to one."

Brandon chuckled. "Yeah well do you see any other evil minions loitering around? The Trix probably put out an ad in the Evil Gazette. 'Free evil witches to good home.' Oh make that evil, dark, somewhere underground, home."

Riven snorted with a soft chuckle but his attention was firmly fixed on his dark haired fairy as she calmly accepted the compliments of her friends and the praises of her teachers, including a Miss Griselda who generally looked as though she'd swallowed a sour prune.

He backed up against charred wall – a good dusting and it would be good as new he figured- and slowly waited for the whole debacle to be over. Yay, the witches were gone but geez, did they have to make such a big deal of this?

"Hey Riven, you coming?" Brandon queried. "I'm sure the girls have to fix Alfea back to its original state and what with Faragonda gone, they're probably not going to want us hanging around. Helia's already contacted the ship and it'll be here in another ten minutes or so. Want to go outside and wait?"

Riven's gaze swept over to his fairy before he reluctantly nodded and began to traipse after the guys, watching as Helia's head ducked low over the comlink attached to his wrist unit.

He was just descending the stairs when there was a clatter of footsteps behind him. He backed up against the banister and glanced over his shoulder, irritation glittering in his violet eyes as he expected to come into contact with a flurry of fairies but instead he found his irritation melting away with the sight of two very long, shapely legs skipping down the stairs.

"Riven!"

He snapped his gaze up but it didn't do anything to help his hormones as he focused on the pretty, expressive face staring at him with something akin to concern and maybe a hint of fear.

"Muse?"

"You're going?"

"Since I don't live here, I can't really stay all day while you guys do your little fairy things."

Her eyes flashed with temper for a moment before she struggled to contain it. That was something he'd noticed recently, her temper had mellowed somewhat. Sure he could still get under her skin without much trouble –he liked to think of it as a talent- but she was more in control of her temper than she had been as a freshman. She was also more feminine too, something he accredited to the fact that she had been dorming with Blondie and her ilk for the past three years. He lazily ran his gaze down her body, taking in her new outfit. She looked so different in it compared to her usual outfit. So feminine and soft, almost delicate and fragile. It made him feel suddenly uncomfortable.

The silence stretched between them and he frowned as she shifted from one foot to another nervously. Now what was wrong with her? She wasn't even looking at him now! "What?" He finally snapped out, unable to deal with the sudden shift in tone between them.

"Do you hate it?" She blurted out.

He raised a brow. She had to be specific. He hated a lot of things. Which 'it' was she referring to? Brandon stealing his shampoo? Yes, he hated that. The witches attacking everyone? He definitely hated that. Darcy trying to kill her? Hell yes! There weren't enough words to describe how much he hated _that_!

She backed up a step and opened her arms wide, motioning to her outfit. "This? You took one look at me and..." she trailed off awkwardly before folding her arms around herself. It was painful.

"Well did you choose to look like that?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and even as Musa swelled up and her hands fisted, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Girls. It wasn't like he knew how the costumes came to be. They just happened to appear whenever the girls said the magic words. Granted this was the first time he'd ever seen the costume change too, he had thought that the red outfit was her default outfit; it never occurred to him that it would ever change. Now it had and he was in the uncomfortable position of trying to reassure her... of what? That she looked good? Surely she could see that. All she had to do was catch her reflection in a mirror.

"No! I didn't even realize I was getting my Enchantix; it wasn't conscious. One minute I'm suffocating and the next minute I felt all tingly and I was dressed like..._this_." She tugged distastefully at the woefully short skirt and he growled feeling his mouth go dry.

"Why are you freaking out?" He sighed; even as he asked the question, he knew the answer. His little tomboy may have become more feminine over the years but she still tended to wear more clothes than the other girls put together. Even when going out to the local club she tended to wear trousers rather than a miniskirt. So the sudden skimpiness of her outfit probably wouldn't sit too well.

She shifted uncomfortably and then suddenly her expression cleared and she dismissed everything with a brief smile and a wave of her hand. "It's... never mind. You should probably be going."

He frowned, knowing that on some level he had screwed up big time. It probably wasn't even anything he had done or said but he was a guy, how did he know what to say when it came to fashion?

"Don't you think it's too short?" She suddenly blurted out. "Too... I don't know, skimpy?"

"Look, you said before that a fairies main agenda is to attract attention, right? Well trust me; any male that goes up against you will definitely be distracted." Heck he was having enough trouble trying to focus and she wasn't doing anything but standing there; if she were to fly about... yeah, he didn't want to test that theory.

He didn't even know what he had said wrong this time but her eyes flashed with irritation and her lips pursed as though she'd suddenly sucked on a lemon.

Oh man, he groaned inwardly. "This is just one of the conversations where I'm going to anger you no matter what I say, isn't it?" He made a silent sound of exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose before finally looking at her. "You look beautiful, now whether that's down to the fact that I almost lost you or because the other outfit just wasn't your colour, well I don't know. Honestly, I really don't care. But it's probably because you _are_ beautiful Musa," he motioned to her outfit as his face slowly flushed heatedly. He hated situations like this, he just wasn't good at saying the right thing. "This, outfit, just shows off how beautiful you are. Usually you tend to dress yourself down and cover yourself up and you don't need to. You are by far the most striking fairy here and if you're still unhappy with the outfit then I'm sorry you feel that way because I think you're gorgeous."

With that said, he turned on his heels with the intention of stalking out of the school before he made an even bigger ass of himself. Honestly, fairies just weren't worth the hassle no matter what anyone said.

"Riven!"

He stifled an annoyed groan and turned slowly only to find himself with an armful of fairy. His hands immediately shifted to her hips to steady her in order to prevent both of them from falling. "You know," She stated, her eyes shining with laughter, "I think you're getting better at this boyfriend stuff."

He gave a reluctantly amused snort but it was lost as she brought his mouth down to hers and he could feel her lips smiling against his. He gripped her tightly in his arms and let the kiss deepen as he tried to convey just how much he loved her, how desirable she was to him and just how scared he had been when he'd thought he'd lost her. The kiss grew more savage and reckless as he pulled her tighter against him and plundered her sweet mouth with soft, frantic swipes of his tongue.

"Oi, Riven come on!"

Riven pulled away reluctantly to glare at Brandon and the constantly whining Rick; both of whom were performing some kind of dance just outside the front door that Riven had seen children do when they needed to pee.

"Are they doing the pee dance?" Musa suddenly queried breathlessly, her fingers lacing through his in that comfortable way of hers. He'd never really been one for holding hands but he found there was a strange unity to holding Musa's hand. "Maybe they want you to hold their hand?"

Riven rolled his eyes. "That wouldn't surprise me. Those two can't seem to do anything on their own."

"Riven, if you're not out here soon we're leaving without you."

"Fine." He bit out, turning to his girlfriend and tilting her chin up so he could search her eyes. They were, thankfully, dry and certainly not as glum as they had been, which was a relief. However, he doubted that her insecurities had completely died away, they were just assuaged for the moment. "I gotta go. Try not to get into any more trouble, got that? I can't keep running in to save the day."

Musa quirked a brow at him. "What alternate universe do you live in? I saved the day, remember? That's how I got this snazzy new costume." She did a little spin that made his stomach tighten painfully.

Riven resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. A minute ago she was freaking out about the costume and now she was fine with it? He'd never understand females. Instead of saying anything that would potentially ruin the moment –see he was learning- he quickly captured her mouth in a quick farewell, lingering over it for a moment before he then headed towards the door, lifting his hand in a lazy wave.

He stepped outside and paused for a moment to adjust his vision to the sudden intrusion of light. The sky was blue once more and held no reminders of the dark swirling clouds that had hovered overhead only an hour ago, such was the trait of Magix. Even the school bore no injuries; a sign that no matter what evil may attack, life would always go on.

He caught sight of his friends waiting for him by the front gate and he slipped his hands into his pockets as he approached them only to hiss and jerk back as his fingers encountered something prickly. He muffled a curse and pulled out the offending object.

What the-?

He studied the small fragile thing and smiled ruefully. Musa's crown from her costume; that was the second time he'd pricked himself upon it.

He slid the tiara back into his pocket; he might as well keep it. It would serve as a reminder to never take Musa for granted. Maybe he wouldn't always tell her how much he loved her but today had served to show him that it wasn't a crime to compliment her and that despite her attitude, she needed those reassuring words just as much as any other girl. He fingered the circlet in his pocket thoughtfully; they were probably due for a date soon anyway. He'd do something nice then.

* * *

**A.N. **_Well that took slightly longer than I thought it would given the fact that Riven is really fun to write. Seriously, I have way more fun writing him than I do Musa because he hates everything and everyone and has a big inflated ego and gets all awkward over mushy stuff -so he's probably way OOC in this but it was still fun to write. Anyways I went through this and tried to fix the formatting problems, such as gaps where there shouldnt't be gaps but if there is something wrong with it, tell me and I'll try to fix it. I would love to know what's causing it. So I hope you enjoyed and __**REVIEW! **__I would like to know that people are reading this and what they like about it or what they'd like to see in upcoming chapters. _


	3. Time out

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Winx Club.

A.N. I have taken some artistic licensing with this chapter. I've shifted season three episode eight, nine and ten around so that Musa got her Enchantix before they went to Eraklyon (because technically Sky wasn't supposed to be in the last chapter) but this chapter is set between episode 8 and nine, but Layla does know about the arranged marriage. Also I'm disregarding the movie too. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter. I just wrote it to see if I could still write since my creative writing class is making me woefully depressed and disillusioned with writing.

* * *

Time out

Riven crouched over the sheet before him with his brow furrowed. The piece of paper was turning out to be the bane of his existence, probably because it was also the key to his future. Just a tiny slip of paper, barely the thickness of a thumbnail, would either see him set on his desired career path or taking a trip to bitterness and failure. Was it any wonder that he just wanted to take the paper and shred it? Nothing was worth this much grief, was it?

He blew out a breath and rounded on the only other figure in the small study area with him. "What kind of questions are these? They make no sense. They have nothing to do with strategy and they certainly don't show them what kind of soldier I am."

Timmy peered over the book he was reading and pursed his lips. "Well they kind of do, Riven. Those 'what if' situations tell them whether or not you can take orders and make decisions and what kind of decisions you'd make."

Riven snarled under his breath and flung another pen away, having decided that it didn't fit right in his fingers. He picked up another, weighed it and deemed it a worthy implement. "So, what about these ones here? There's no right or wrong answer."

"Exactly; it's not about being right or wrong, it's about getting to know you. These questions are a form of gaining insight into the mind of Riven, the man behind the soldier. The elites have to be careful about who they choose. They're not going to want hotheads but they're also not going to summon mindless soldiers. They want the perfect balance between the two. Someone who can work under orders, be a leader and work with a team as well as that person who can take initiative to do what's needed to be done without being asked."

"Then why am I doing this? I'm not anything like that. Codatorta's always complaining that I never do things right, that I'm too stubborn and that evil follows me around like a bad smell."

"Calm down, Riven." Helia quietly spoke up from behind him where he'd been leaning against a bookcase. "Why don't you let them make the decision? This piece of paper is just one formality, there are other places where you'll get to prove to yourself and to everyone else just how good you can be."

Timmy breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whatever deity it was that had called upon Helia to come to his rescue. As much as he respected and looked up to Riven, he always felt woefully incompetent in dealing with the sullen boy's moods. No matter what he wanted to say, he generally became tongue-tied when it came to emotional stuff. Even Tecna could back that up. The best people to deal with Riven in this mood were Helia and Brandon. Unfortunately Brandon was in Eraklyon watching Sky.

"So how do I answer questions on me? Medical ones I'm fine on but what do I consider my best and worst trait?" With a scowl, Riven shoved away from the table to stalk over to the fire. "And why do they need to know about my family? What's that going to tell them? I'm not going to turn away a mother in need of help just because mine was a bitch. I'm not going to prevent people from getting married because I think marriage is a crock. I'm not going to stop some prince from saving the girl he loves because I think love is a fucking noose."

"You might want to be careful about your oral interview, Riv. You're exhibiting some issues right there."

Riven blew out a breath. "There's a question about suicide in my family history."

Helia paused; then slowly nodded. "Ah. Well, that's not hereditary. Your father didn't kill himself because of any mental health problems, Riven."

"Didn't he? He killed himself because he couldn't live without my mother. The old women in the camp called it dying of a broken heart to soften the blow, but the truth of the matter is that he was so fucking depressed at failure that he couldn't see the light so he ended it. What's to say I wouldn't do the same?"

"You think Musa would run out on you?" Timmy asked incredulously.

Riven snorted. "Not likely."

"Not when you're planning on leaving her behind." Helia stated quietly, his eyes pointedly resting on the red head.

He didn't want to talk about that right now. "I'm talking about failing a mission. What if I screw up so bad and the depression finally gets its hands on me?"

"Do you really think that could happen?

Riven jerked a shoulder. It was an unspoken fear that he hadn't ever wanted to truly acknowledge. Most of the time he clung to the anger, to the bitterness but every so often he could feel the slick black waves licking at his heels, curling at his ankles just before he shook it off.

"Look, you can let that fear take you under now and just give up your desire to be in the Elites –"

"Or?"

"Or, you join the Elites. Do what you want to do for a while and if the depression does get to you, then you can take your time off and deal with it then on your own terms. You're aware of the fact that it could happen to you so you'll be prepared to deal with it. Just don't let it dictate your life."

Riven absorbed the quietly delivered words from his pacifist roommate then nodded, heading back to the form once more. "I still dislike these questions. How do you write an essay on yourself?"

"Just say why you want to join the elites, what's your driving force. They just want to see a bit of what Riven is like. It's the interview with you they'll be most interested in and your references."

"Who've you asked?" Helia wondered, taking a seat and straddling the back of it. "Saladin?"

"Yeah and Codatorta. I was thinking of maybe asking Ms. Griffin and Faragonda too, you know whenever they find her."

"Good idea." Timmy enthused. "You helped Griffin get out of Cloud Tower and if anything comes out about your time with the witches, she'll be the best person to tell the truth about the spell placed upon you."

Helia hissed out a breath. "Might be bad if they find out about it. What's to say that you're not weakened against magical attacks like that now?"

"Because I've been training with Paladium. We're working on making my mental shields stronger. Since I keep being attacked, Faragonda and Saladin figured there was something in my aura that attracted them. I also have this –" He added, pulling the neckline of his t-shirt down to reveal a rune just below his collarbone. The intricate design was inked into his skin in his signature colour and seemed to faintly shimmer.

"A rune mark," Helia marvelled. "I've never seen one close up. That's old school magic. No one really uses it much anymore, bar the odd wizard here and there. Pretty potent stuff."

"Griffin, Saladin and Faragonda were involved in creating it. It hurt like a Minotaur's horn but if it makes me a better candidate for the elite, I don't care."

"It's like an anti-Valtor mark, right?" Timmy mused, as Riven let his shirt slide back into place. "Valtor's mark ensured he could have access to people while that mark ensures no one has access to you."

"Exactly. I'm fed up playing puppet for the bad guys."

"Just like an anti-possession talisman only in your skin so you never forget it. That would have hurt," Helia muttered, rubbing a phantom pain in his own chest.

Riven quietly nodded and returned his attention to the form, picking out more questions that could be easily answered with a brief description. He'd have to photocopy records of his missions, successful and not so successful. Alas, a lot of his major missions had been contaminated with the presence of the Jinx Club which wouldn't look great on his application form but there were other solo missions and RF missions that would show his skills.

"Well with such references you'll be a shoo-in, Riven." Timmy stated, standing up and slapping him on the back. "Anyways, I have a flight simulation training to prepare for, so I'll see you two at dinner."

"Sure, Timmy."

Riven grunted an affirmative and scribbled another answer before placing down his pen and leaning back in his seat. "I'll leave the rest 'til later. I need to formulate a rough draft for these essay questions and talk to Codatorta about what would sound best."

"You could get him to proof read and if you want, I can have a look at it too. I'm told I'm good with words."

Riven quirked a lip and it quickly developed into a flashing grin. "Ah I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

"You know someone else who's good with words?"

Riven lifted an amused brow and then his expression sobered. "Musa. Yeah, she's fantastic with words and stuff. I should get some feedback from her."

"Means telling her about your plans though."

Ah, now that was a kicker. How did you tell the girl who claimed to be in love with you that you were planning to do intense training for a corps that would probably get you killed at some stage or another? The same way you told her that you were fighting depression. Simply put: you didn't.

"Musa's got enough on her plate without me adding to it. You and Codatorta are more than enough to help me."

Helia let out a gusty breath. "You know Riven, for such a brave guy, you're the biggest coward I know."

Riven flinched but tried to remain cheerful. "Bigger than Rick*?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Riven had been sitting in his room studying the questions before him for thirty minutes when the call came through that he had a visitor in the lobby. It was an hour before dinner and usually visitors came earlier in the day or after dinner so that in itself was strange but for Riven, the really strange thing was that he _had_ a visitor. For the life of him he couldn't think of who it would be... unless it was some stupid prank. That wouldn't be a surprise.

He stood in the elevator and braced himself for someone to jump out at him as soon as the doors opened. He didn't relax when they didn't, but instead tensed further. His fingers slid to the hilt of his weapon before sliding back to his belt. It wouldn't look good if he had a report in his file for drawing a weapon on a fellow hero.

He approached the desk, scanning the area and raised a brow at Hilton who was working behind the desk. "Yo."

"Riven, your visitor is over there." The senior stated, pointing towards the main doors to the lobby area. "Didn't want to sit in the lobby itself, said it would draw too much attention or some shit like that."

"Your eloquence astounds me," Riven drawled, heading for the main doors and stepping out into the brisk air. He looked around and frowned when he spotted the figure sitting on one of the stone benches in the courtyard. He raked a hand through his hair and approached to bench.

"So what are you doing here, then?" He asked, dropping down onto the seat beside her.

"I – I'm sorry. I should have called first. I'm bothering you, right?"

Red alarms began to whir in his head and he bit his tongue, forcing his brain into action. Musa was here, in Red Fountain, visiting him. That was not the normal MO. Usually he went to her or they met on neutral ground, like Magix or on a mission together. Musa rarely ventured into his space unless he brought her with him. It wasn't that she wasn't welcome, she was more than – though he didn't really know if she was aware of that – but getting into Red Fountain wasn't exactly easy.

"How did you get up here?" The words burst through the dam he erected and he could have cursed when she flinched. "I didn't mean it to sound like that."

"I'm sorry. I'll just go."

"Oi," He snapped, reaching out and grabbing her hand before she could run off. She had a penchant for doing so and he was wise to her tactics. "Not so fast. Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't be here. I'm just wondering how you got up here."

Her blue eyes flashed. "I'm a fairy, Riven. We have wings."

He gaped at her for a second before standing up. "You flew? Musa, you could have hurt yourself. You could have been eaten by a dragon!"

"No, I could not. One, no Dragon flies out here alone, not without another wrangler nearby and two, I'm a fairy of Music, something Dragons are very susceptible to."

"Fine," he acknowledged. "So why are you here? It's not a social visit."

"Why can't it be a social visit? Why can't I just spring a surprise visit on my boyfriend?"

"Because you're you and you always phone. It's your thing. And I come to you, another one of those things."

"Well maybe I wanted to change _things_. Great Dragon Riven, I just wanted to come see you though goodness knows why. You're so damn surly all the time."

He sighed and reached out, yanking her to him. He ignored her struggles and continued to hold her against him until the fight drained out of her and her arms were snug around him. "Talk."

"There's nothing to..." She trailed off with a groan before burying her face in his shoulder. Finally, she withdrew her head and looked up at him. "The girls are annoying me. I love them but they're so insensitive at times. I just get so fed up of them bitching about their parents. Stella's father is getting married to a horrible woman, I know this but that doesn't mean her father won't still love her and sure, her parents aren't getting remarried but sometimes marriage doesn't work out. Sometimes it's better to separate and be happy but Stella refuses to see that and she just swans about the place complaining and moaning about how they don't love her enough to get back together."

With a frustrated sound she pushed away from Riven to stalk to the edge of the path. Riven sat down and prepared himself for the rant that was just waiting to erupt from the Musical fairy's lips.

"So what if they're not happy together. They're still her parents, they still love her. Why doesn't she appreciate that? And Bloom! Bloom has the nicest parents ever. They're so welcoming and they accepted that she was a fairy and that she had to go to Alfea and that she's a princess and she's dating a prince and they even accept all of us as her friends. They're lovely; they don't fuss about her fighting the Trix and they don't enforce any restrictions on her but let her be herself. And what does she do to repay them? She spends all her time looking for her dead birth parents. Honestly, I don't understand this. Of course she's curious and yes, I understand that if they're out there somewhere and they're alive, then it's Bloom's duty to help them but she's blowing off her own parents to look for Miriam and Oritel. I just can't agree with that. I feel so bad every time Vanessa phones looking for Bloom and Bloom's off somewhere searching for her birth parents. She's even taking to calling Vanessa by her given name instead of mom when she's with us. At least she hasn't done it to Vanessa's face yet.

"And then there's Layla. I love Layla to bits. She's the best and she gets me in a way the others don't but dear goddess above, she spends all her time these days complaining about how her parents don't understand her, or her need for freedom and individuality."

"They're arranging a marriage for her, Musa. That's bound to upset our bra burning feminist." Riven felt like scraping his tongue clean for sticking up for the tomboyish fairy of Tides.

"I know, I know. It's bad and if my dad did it to me, I'd rain every vestige of Dischord upon him – but I have you so damn straight I'm not looking to be married to some random guy. But her parents are way too nice to just marry her off to anyone without thinking about how they'd click. I think that if she went to her parents and explained, they might listen to her and call off the wedding but instead Layla throws fits and sulks in her room listening to Oceanic Waves at full blast." She whirled on him, blue fire burning in her eyes. "I love all kinds of Music but that stuff is pushing it. Merfolk just have absolutely no rhythm!"

Riven choked back a laugh and settled himself back against the tree trunk. "Have you tried talking to the girls? It's unlike them to be insensitive on purpose."

"And that's the problem. They're not being insensitive on purpose; I'm just being too sensitive. I just needed to get out of there, release some stress. We're on lock down until Valtor makes his next move and it's just getting to be too much. I'm nervous about where the next attack is going to come from. Now I have my Enchantix, I'm going to be on the front line to protect Bloom from him and I'm scared."

Riven frowned, patting the seat beside him. "Why?"

"He's so sneaky and I look at Stella and Layla, they're so confident with their Enchantix powers but I don't have proper control over mine. I keep dreaming that I transform and instead of changing into my Enchantix, the ribbons of magic keep spinning around me, suffocating me and I can't control them." She blew out a breath and sat down beside him, allowing him to put his arm around her so she could snuggle closer. "The burden seems to be placed upon us because, now that we have the Enchantix, we're seen as the strongest fairies in Alfea after the teachers. I just don't want to fail. I don't think we're strong enough to go up against Valtor alone yet."

"You'll just have to train more and get to grips with your powers again. It's different for us, we don't get power upgrades but we do learn skills and initially they're tough to do but the more you practice, the more it becomes second nature. It's not like you would have gotten your enchanting stuff if you weren't ready for it and it's inside you so obviously you're powerful enough to use it. You just need to have faith and all that stuff."

Musa glanced up at him before ducking her head with a smile. "All that stuff... yeah I guess you're right. I know I can do this. It's just that we have to get Sky back because Bloom's really upset about it and she can't concentrate on getting stronger if her mind is caught on Sky. Not to mention the fact that she's upset she'll never get her Enchantix."

"Why not? And has anyone ever thought that maybe Sky doesn't want to come back?"

As soon as he spoke the words he knew he shouldn't have opened his mouth but it was a legitimate question. Brandon was sitting pretty in Eraklyon because he thought he could break Sky out but since Sky hadn't made a move to get in contact with Brandon, it seemed to Riven that the blond had made his choice and it wasn't Bloom. To be honest though, if Riven were in that situation, he would have dropped both of them. Seriously, who needed such whiny girls on their case all the time? Much better to just concentrate on your duties as a hero.

"To get your Enchantix, you must sacrifice yourself to help someone from your home planet. Since Sparx is destroyed, there's no one for Bloom to sacrifice herself for."

"Ah that's going to piss her off. Can't save Sky, can't save anyone else –"

"Riven!"

"What? No offence to the girl but she does kind of have a god complex. That Dragon fire of hers does not give her the right to go prancing around looking for trouble at every turn."

Musa growled and stood up to look down at him. "Look, Bloom does not go looking for trouble."

"Ok, fine, it comes looking for her but even when she was a freshman, she saw it as her duty to take on the Trix. Why didn't the older fairies take on the Army of Decay? Why was she the one roaming around Cloud Tower?"

"I don't know Riven but the older fairies had their own missions to go on. Some of them were on other planets completing their final exams to prove they were ready to go out into the world as fairy godmothers, muses, nymphs or other variations of Fairies. A lot of them couldn't make it back for the final battle. Those that did were there doing what they could and taking care of the rest of us."

Riven sighed. Sometimes his mouth got him in a shitload of trouble and the last thing he wanted to do was to piss Musa off or make her more upset.

"And as for Sky, well don't you think we should get him back? Do you really think he went to Diaspro of his own accord? Does that seem normal to you? Taking in all that we know about Valtor now, do you really think that Sky just suddenly decided he loved Diaspro and set his guards upon us?"

Riven curled a lip. Fine. Put that way it did sound ridiculous but the last thing he wanted to do was intrude in his friend's personal problems.

"This whole thing seems wrong. It's like he's been mind raped and now he doesn't have a thought of his own beyond what Diaspro wants him to think."

"But do you honestly think Valtor and Diaspro are in cahoots?"

Musa paused, tapping a finger to her lip. Riven watched her, taking in how different she looked since he'd first met her. She truly was beautiful and would probably grow to resemble her mother more and more as she grew older. It made him wonder who he resembled. If Musa had met his parents, would she think he resembled one of them? If she knew about his parents, would it change her perception of him?

"I haven't said it to Bloom but it's something to think about, isn't it? I mean, I don't think Diaspro is evil but she's desperate and desperate people do desperate things. Even if she's not influenced by Valtor, I still think we should do something because Sky is not thinking straight – he called us witches! – and that's just wrong. He's being mind warped and you, out of everyone, should know how that feels."

Riven flinched. Yeah, he did know how that felt and he didn't like to be reminded of that time in his life. It hadn't been a good time and it certainly wasn't something he could forget easily, especially when it was often thrown in his face every time it happened to someone else. The burn in his chest flared hot for a second and he rubbed it, letting it filter into his mind that he could not be influenced like that ever again.

"Ok, you're right. Sky is under some kind of spell because Sky is too damn decent to pull a stunt like that. He turned himself into a total sap for Bloom, there's no way that was a pretence and to what purpose? Ha, you're right. Diaspro probably did do something so if you need someone to take you to get him out of there, I'm your man. Besides, I'm a way better flyer than Helia."

Musa blinked. "Alright then. I'll talk to the girls and then we can sort out when we'll go. It has to be soon though. Stella needs to bust up her father's wedding to Cassandra and Layla wants to go back to Tides and sort out all this marriage stuff. And we have to destroy Valtor... I wonder if any other students have this much of a work load during the school year?"

Riven snorted. "No, I'm fairly certain that's a Jinx Club speciality."

"Well, we're entertaining at least." Musa pointed out, glancing at the sky. "And I should probably get back to Alfea. They'll be looking for me."

"How will you get back?"

"I'll fly or get a hovercab."

Riven stretched his arms over his head and rose to his feet. "Eh, I can get you there. Ruby Rascal needs her evening exercise anyway."

Musa blanched. "Oh no; no, no, no. Your dragon doesn't like me and after our trip to Eraklyon, I am not exactly the biggest fan of those lizards."

"Ruby's just territorial. It's the problem with having a female dragon. They're incredibly protective of their wranglers and they're certainly more easily managed but put them in contact with another female of any species and they go ballistic."

"This is why I rely on my own wings to get me around. If Ruby goes for me, I'm putting her to sleep for a while."

He grinned but it faltered when Musa produced a flute from behind her back and twirled it through her fingers. Oh, not a joke then.

"Just don't do it while we're in the air, a crash landing in Alfea wouldn't be too impressive."

Musa chuckled softly and put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"For what?" He questioned, stroking her hair. It had grown so much over the summer between their second and third year. It made her look more feminine, something that was probably influenced by Tune, he mused as he enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him.

She tilted her head back to observe him. "For being you."

He shrugged and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "No problem. Now let's go, Ruby waits for no one."

He released her and placing a hand on her back, he guided her towards the stables and the only other female that had a place in his heart.

* * *

**A**.**N**. Ok, so that was a brief interlude because I wanted to write something Musa/Riven-ish. Hopefully you guys will have enjoyed it even though nothing really happened.


End file.
